Advice for teachers -
Health and Human Development

Unit 2 – Area of Study 1: Developmental transitions

Outcome 1

Explain developmental changes in the transition from youth to adulthood, analyse factors that contribute to healthy development during prenatal and early childhood stages of the lifespan and explain health and wellbeing as an intergenerational concept.

Examples of learning activities

• create an annotated and visually representative timeline of the different stages of the lifespan, which could be presented as a poster or using Prezi, iMovie, Comic Life, Animoto or Padlet
• in groups, assign students a lifespan stage; each group creates a poster of the age range and key characteristics of their stage; display the posters in chronological order around the classroom
• print a variety of pictures of people representing different lifespan stages; ask students to order them from youngest to oldest; discuss as a class the characteristics/visual clues they used in ordering the pictures
• interview an adult and ask them about their opinion regarding the following statement: ‘Youth is the best time of your life’
• find out about the so-called ‘sandwich generation’, for example at the Daily Telegraph; undertake a PMI (Plus, Minus and Interesting) of the ‘sandwich generation’ concept
• in groups, using a graphic organiser or template, brainstorm the following: ‘Adulthood, looks like, feels like, sounds like’; ‘Youth, looks like, feels like, sounds like’; discuss answers as a group; ask a group of adults (parents, teachers, guardians) to complete the same brainstorm; compare the answers of both respondent groups; what were the similarities and differences? suggest possible reasons
• brainstorm ‘rites of passage’ that exist in Australian culture that signify the movement from the youth lifespan stage into the adulthood lifespan stage; research other cultures’ rites of passage to adulthood
• in groups, research another country’s legal age for:
  • obtaining a car license
  • smoking
  • consuming alcohol
  • being tried as an adult in a court of law
  • marriage.
• discuss/prepare a presentation on stereotypical ways that youth may be viewed by society; consider why society may see youth in this way
• in response to some topical news about the behaviour of young people, write a letter to the editor of a newspaper describing the qualities of the youth lifespan stage
• develop a list of developmental characteristics (e.g. attachment to caregiver, learns to walk, can write own name); ask students to classify the particular types of development
• design a crossword with the clues being characteristics of development; the answers are examples of physical, social, emotional or intellectual development
• create a Padlet wall, defining and explaining the characteristics of the different types of development
• create a Symbaloo of the different aspects of development, making links to websites or images containing different examples of development
• view part of a TV series (such as Offspring), asking students to focus on several characters; what is their stage of lifespan? what key developmental changes are currently happening in their life? Classify these developmental changes as physical, social, emotional or intellectual
• develop a range of scenarios, for example:
  • married couple aged in mid-40s with two teenage children go out to dinner without the children
  • female aged 50 talking with friends at mid-week tennis competition.
  in pairs, students are to document a possible conversation between these characters; students can then read or act out their script to the class; identify specific types of development (physical, social, emotional and intellectual) relevant to the conversation
• construct a Venn diagram to document similarities and differences in youth and adult development
• create an infographic designed for adolescents, informing them of the changes they can expect to experience as they transition from youth to adulthood
• brainstorm ideas about ‘what a good relationship looks like’ and ‘what a bad relationship looks like’; use the examples created by the students to classify the impact (positive or negative) on the person’s physical, social, mental, emotional and/or spiritual health
• undertake a ‘values walk’ by devising a range of statements about what a ‘respectful relationship’ may look like and what a ‘disrespectful relationship’ may look like; ask students to note whether they agree/disagree with (or are unsure about) the statements read out
• access the Level 11–12 Resilience, rights and respectful relationships learning materials; explore this publication with students, noting which topics and activities they find most helpful for the key skill ‘analyse the role of respectful relationships in the achievement of optimal health and wellbeing’
• develop a brochure or blog educating people about their right to be treated respectfully and where they may be able to access local help or support
• brainstorm the topic ‘What is a parent?’ considering possible roles and functions of a parent
• in small groups debate the idea ‘Parenting begins before birth’; report group ideas to the rest of the class
• access Raising Children: identify services available locally to parents by clicking on ‘My Neighbourhood’ (see right-hand side of homepage) and typing in their post code; prepare a brief report on how the parenting role can/should be supported by community and government
• as a class, create a list of social and emotional support resources that new parents might require; using a scale from 1 to10 (1 being only slightly important and 10 being very important) rank the support resources identified
• devise a survey to find out about the concerns of new parents or parents-to-be, each student interviews a new parent or parent of young children and discusses his/her findings with the class. Identify any common themes/concerns
• visit the local Maternal and Child Health Centre or invite a Maternal and Child Health Nurse to speak to students; ask about the support and resources offered to families and new parents
• facilitate a class discussion on the topic ‘What constitutes a family?’ Can the class agree on a definition? How has the family changed over time?
• set a creative task ‘Diary from inside the womb’ from the perspective of the growing foetus; it could be presented as a written story, calendar entry, a poster or using Prezi, iMovie, Comic Life, Animoto or Padlet; detail the developmental changes from conception to birth
• view animations of the process of fertilisation and prenatal development
• using playdough, clay or recycled materials, model the process of conception through to implantation with a focus on cell division
• develop a concept map showing the risk and protective factors that influence prenatal development
• access ‘Alcohol. Think again’ (WA); identify the impacts of consuming alcohol during pregnancy; research the issues associated with children affected by Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder; this education campaign has a specific promotion program targeted at pregnant women, explain this program and how it aims to reduce rates of alcohol consumption in pregnancy

• in groups design and/or create a short (2–4 minutes) film/podcast/infomercial (for television, radio and/or internet) that could help to warn pregnant women and potential new mothers about the dangers of smoking, alcohol consumption or poor diet in pregnancy
• using recycled materials from home, school and/or the environment, students design and make a toy suitable for a child; students present their toy to the class, identifying the age group it is most appropriate for and describing how it can enhance the child’s physical, social, emotional and/or intellectual development
• play a number of games suitable for children of varied ages (e.g. skipping, memory, puzzles, snakes and ladders); after playing each game the students identify the age the game was most appropriate for and how the game would enhance physical, social, emotional and intellectual development; present results in a table
• view a movie focusing on parenting, consider the following:
  • the types of activities and how they promote development
  • how the different childcare options promote social and emotional development
  • how food choices can impact health and development
  • the importance of early childhood education for future health and development.
• the use of iPads and tablets among toddlers has grown considerably, conduct some research and list the pros and cons of young children having access to these devices; consider the positive and negative impacts on health and development
• develop a 3–4 min podcast designed for mothers of young children giving them some ideas of games they could play or create with their children that have a minimal cost; visit Department of Education and Training for information on podcasting or download the Digital Deck: Podcasts

 

Detailed example

Digital presentation: healthy mums and bubs

In groups select a risk factor (alcohol, smoking, poor diet) that can impact on prenatal development. Design a 2–4 minute short film/podcast/infomercial for television, radio or the internet. The aim is to educate mothers and potential mothers. Students consider the following in their research:

• how the risk factor can cross from the mother to developing foetus
• stage of prenatal development that the mother is most at risk
• impact on the physical health and development of the growing foetus
• potential implications for long-term health and development
• where mothers or potential mothers can seek further information.

Visit Department of Education and Training for information on podcasting or download the Digital Deck: Podcasts.